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Airlines are under fire after string of events occur

Over the past few months, many airlines have been under fire for events seen as airline brutality.

The first airline to appear with news such as this was United Airlines, in which a passenger, Dr. David Dao, was physically dragged off of a flight, for which he had a ticket.

The flight that departed from O’Hare National Airport was overbooked and was unable to hold airline staff that was essential to the flight. After United was not approached by any volunteers to give up their seat, they were forced to ask certain customers to leave the plane and board a later flight.

One of the four customers that was forced to give up their seat was Dao. The customers were offered compensation of $400 and a hotel stay until the next flight was available. When approached, Dao was hesitant and wouldn’t give up his seat. The airline staff asked Dao again to give up his seat, and he still refused. This is when the Chicago Department of Aviation intervened, but Dao still refused. At this time, the Chicago Department of Aviation physically dragged Dao off the flight to make room for others. After the ordeal took place, Dao went to the hospital for wounds that he had sustained in the violent takeaway.

The video was shared over the internet on Facebook Live and made news within the day and gained popularity in days after.

This has not been the only case of controversial airline events. The same day, on another United flight, a man was allegedly stung by a scorpion on his way home from vacation. On April 21, the pilot of a Delta flight struck a passenger while trying to break up a fight.

The question is what happens to the airlines and passengers after events like this take place.

When news like this comes from an airline, their stock often drops drastically, but these situations are handled differently by passengers and staff.

When dealing with the airline staff, the passenger(s) affected often receive an apology from high-end officials in the company. In Dao’s case, legal action followed the incident. United Airlines reached a settlement with Dao while not releasing the details of the financial deal. While high-intensity events often call for legal action, some passengers that are involved are often satisfied with a detailed apology.

Lastly, the airline is also punished as news of the events continue to spread and customers choose other airlines. For example, United Airlines stock worth dropped ten dollars from $75.59 to $65.28. Overall, the airline can lose a great deal of business after the spread of horrific events increase bad business.